Never Judge

Hendrick looked around nervously as he felt he was witnessing a discussion he shouldn't be part of.

"Don't worry, you belong here now, kid." Ian chuckled as if he could read Hendrick's mind.

Cedric grinned at the young man before speaking.

"It is tradition for us to choose and groom the Reyes Heir's assistants before the Reyes Heir takes his place in the company." Cedric explained to Hendrick and the others in the room who were not aware.

"In our time it was I and a woman that now goes by the name Camilla Ming, wife of one of the richest men in China and a CEO by her own right." Ian explained. "The role isn't one you will take on forever, but you will be needed to help out every so often."

"Are you asking Hendrick to be one of my assistants?" Emilio asked, shocked by his father's offer. "You still haven't found one?"

Cedric smiled and shook his head.

"No, not yet. No one seemed to fit. Everyone that applied was just so desperate for the role, it was as if they knew we were searching." Cedric explained to his son.

"Sir, I don't think I'd be a fit for the role." Hendrick said in a small voice as he looked down.

"Hendric Chua, did you really think that we never knew the truth about you?" Cedric asked as he smiled at the confused young man.

Hendrick frowned and glanced at Emilio as if he was begging for help.

Emilio simply responded with a shrug and shook his head.

"I think you're forgetting how powerful the combined resources in this room actually are." Ray laughed as he enjoyed how confused and lost Hendrick looked.

He had been thrown in the center of a very powerful family drama and now he was being offered a permanent place.

"I spoke to Miguel and he told me that your biggest issue was the fact that everyone was pressuring you to succeed." Cedric said as he gave the man a sympathetic look.

Hendrick nodded slowly in response. It was clear that he was still quite wary of the powerful man.

"I can't promise you that there will be no pressure in this line of work.:" Cedric began to say.

"Dad, I don't think this is the best way to convince him." Emilio grumbled as he heard the first part of his father's speech.

"Let me finish." Cedric Reyes said as he glared at his son, making the younger Reyes back down.

"As I was saying." Cedric Reyes cleared his throat and regained his train of thought. "The job is still a high pressure one, but you won't be alone." Cedric explained. "You won't be the one under the microscope either, it will always be the Reyes Heir or the CEO when he does take the position."

"Plus people will always underestimate you with the title Assistant." Ian added with a wink.

"The role isn't an assistant in the traditional sense, it's more like the Reyes Heir's Vice President for everything, his right hand man, the person who will get the job done." Cedric further explained. "You will grow into your role with my son, you will work with every company under the Reyes Group under a discreet program."

Hendrick nodded as he considered his options.

Emilio could see that his friend was seriously considering the offer.

"What happens after?" Hendrick asked as he looked at Ian. He was clearly directing the question to his predecessor.

Cedric nodded, encouraging his friend to answer the question.

"Well, for starters your future will be up to you." Ian said with a smile. "I had one goal when I took Emilio's grandfather's offer, and that was revenge. The Reyes family promised me the support I needed, and after that I decided to continue to grow my own family's legacy."

"So  how did you end up working with Al's dad?" Hendrick asked as he glanced at the king of the underworld.

He couldn't help but wonder how the terrifying man seemed so kind at that moment.

"I have always been part of the Dean family mafia. Seth was my friend in the Reyes Group and I joined the Mafia to support him and to strengthen my connections." Ian explained. "When the Mafias encountered some problems, Ray offered me the position as his right hand man and I accepted."

"So you work for both of them now?" Hendrick asked.

"Yes." Ian answered with a nod. "You won't be forced to quit the Mafia if you're Emilio's assistant. It becomes more of an asset than a liability, although I see you coursing all help needed through the princeling over here."

"Stop calling me that." Al grumbled.

"You don't have to decide now." Cedric reminded the young man before him. "We don't want to pressure you into the decision. Ian can walk you through the benefits since he lived with it."

Ian nodded, agreeing that he would.

"Okay." Hendrick said as he promised to consider the offer.

"Good, now, let's move on." Cedric declared as he walked over to the door and opened. Mae came marching in with a laptop and placed it on a desk to the side.

"He's the potential recruit?" Mae asked as she looked at Hendrick, assessing him.

"You can interview him later." Ian chuckled. "Get on with what you found out."

Mae smiled and pressed a button on the laptop, triggering a projector to come out of the ceiling.

"As far as we know, Emilio's identity has been revealed. He used himself to shield Al as they rushed from the entrance of the mall towards the car." Mae explained. "There will be no denying his identity or hiding the truth."

Cedric frowned at the news, he had hoped that the photos of his son had not been clear enough.

"What of Al?" Ray asked as he looked nervously at the projected images.

"His identity is intact, but those that knew he was cousins with Emilio will figure out who he is." Mae informed Ray as she produced a sheet of paper and handed it to him. "As far as we could tell, these are the people."

"They are mostly tenants at the apartment or Emilio's friends." Ray said as Al stood up and was handed the document by his father.

Al reviewed the list and nodded in agreement as he gave it to Emilio for confirmation.

"My friends never met Emilio, I was careful." Al told his father.

"I guess now we just need to gather them up." Ray said with a grin.